Flibbs.com

Christmas. What a funny word. I don’t really know what its about but it seems to involve a lot of bright, twinkling lights and tasty bits of colored paper.

We’ve been back for a week or so and I think I’ve finally gotten my bearings. We’re back at this place that my parents call “home” and it feels good to be here. As much fun as it was to have all sorts of new people picking me up and giving me cool things to chew on, I miss my room and my bed. But most of all, I miss Dwarfland.

Christmas seems to begin with a confusion of darkness and whispers. There I am lying in my bed trying to sleep and I get scooped up, brought out into the coldness of outside and into the coldness of the car. Before I realize whats going on, I’m in some huge brightly lit room with more people than I’ve ever seen before. My mom carries me through a big arch where large men all dressed alike wave her through while my dad puts his shoes on and grabs the bags that we’re taking with us. Next thing you know we’re in a loud tubular room with little windows looking out on more men, also dressed like each other, driving strange cars around what looks like an enormous driveway.

Then for what seems like an eternity, I sit on my mom’s lap. Then I sit on my dad’s lap. Then back to mom. Then dad. Then mom again. This goes on for quite some time. There are lots of interesting things to play with.. if only they’d let me. At some point I wondered if the lady sitting next to us has ears like my dad. I reach out to find out but dad won’t let me - he just gives me the same stupid toy for the hundredth time. Maybe he should let me pull on his ears again! At some point someone brings us liquids in cups. I love cups, and these are different than what we have at home. Dad lets me drink from one of them but as usual its just water. I still want to know what that murky orange liquid is that mom is drinking. I’ve seen it before, but so far they won’t even let me taste!

The tubular room gets quiet at some point and a man’s voice seems to come from everywhere. Other people start getting up in response but my mom and dad just seem to sit there. Eventually I realize that we must be at ‘Ohio’ because everyone keeps saying that.

Next thing I know we’re in another car and some woman who is really really familiar is really really excited to see me. I wish I could place her but in any case I get a good feeling about her. I think she’s pretty nice. Soon we’re in a new house with huge ceilings and my friend Julian’s favorite thing: fans! Huge fans, hanging from the ceiling - and these seem to be on all the time, so if I ever get bored I know just where to look. I remind myself to tell Julian about them when I get home. I decide to spend the next few days trying out this climbing thing. I seem to be able to climb horizontally across the ground if I move my arms and legs just right. When I climb more than a foot or so, people are very impressed and shout and clap a lot. But its hard work and I can’t really keep it up for very long.
We stay at Ohio for a few days and I get to meet lots of new people. Lets see if I can remember some names. There was “great grandma,” “grampa,” “Monica,” “Phil,” “Tamara,” and finally I get that the super friendly lady is “grandma.” People also keep repeating “Chad” over and over but I don’t know if that’s something I should be afraid of or not. Everyone is very nice. One of the days there were all these boxes and everyone is in the same room. Each box is coated with yummy paper - I thought maybe the different colors would taste different but its all pretty much the same. But still yummy. I think that even if I found out that there were no more cups in the world, I would be quite satisfied with just paper. Later, we go in the car to some other place where I met some new people. I especially liked “great grampa” because he keeps looking at me and saying nice things. Honestly I’m not sure what “the cutest thing” or “wonderful” really means, but if it has anything to do with eating paper, count me in!
Soon we get back into the tube shaped room and now we’re at some place called “Boston” where I meet more people called “grandpa” and “grandma” but sometimes they seem to be called “grandmom” and “granddad” I’m still trying to figure that one out. I also meet “Heather” and “Ben. They’re all kinda familiar but I don’t know why I would know them. I’m actually a little confused because sometimes people call my mom “Heather” This “Heather” has got something going on though because people keep poking at and talking about her stomach. Ben seems especially interested in me, asking me lots of questions and telling me whats what. We go lots of places and I get strolled around some crowded room with lots and lots of pictures on the wall. I don’t quite understand these pictures though, because there’s no color! But the places look very beautiful… some of them even remind me of home when mom and dad take me for “hikes.” I later realize that I don’t actually remember going on hikes, so it must have been a long time ago.
After a few days at Boston I realize how tired I’m feeling. I start to wonder if we’re going to be living here now, or maybe we’re going back to Ohio? I hope whatever happens next doesn’t involve another tube shaped room because I’m getting really tired of that. I like sitting on my mom and dad’s laps, but it just seems to go on forever. Sure enough, we do go into another tube room. I am so tired by now that I can barely climb on my parents. They try to make me lie down but nothing is comfortable. At some point I think I lost consciousness because I wake up in my mom’s lap to a man’s booming voice and a ringing bell. The room shakes for a few seconds now and then and my mom just holds me closer. Finally after the room shakes a bit more, everyone gets up and leaves the room. In no time I’m back at home!

I don’t know when “Christmas” happens again but it sure was fun. I hope I get to meet all those people again because boy they sure were nice.